Sam Champion
Source: ABC News
October 25, 2011

"The devastating tsunami that hit Japan in March created lasting images of houses, boats, cars and entire neighborhoods pulled out to sea.

Now, seven months later, that debris is on a direct collision course with the Pacific coast of the United States.

Up to 20 million tons of the debris, all of it potentially toxic, is floating across the Pacific Ocean in an area estimated to be twice the size of Texas.

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Kevin Wadlow
Source: KeysNet.com
October 26, 2011

"A new report assessing ecosystem conditions in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary grades out around a C-minus—maybe.

"It's a very stressed ecosystem," sanctuary Superintendent Sean Morton said.

"It takes a long time for recovery and there are a lot of pressures out there."

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Source: The Washington Post
October 24, 2011

Honolulu, HI - "Americans peg the value of coral reefs around the main Hawaiian Islands at $33.57 billion, a study commissioned by the federal government said Friday.

Officials frequently cite coral reefs as being vital to tourism and other industries. But there's been no dollar figure to accompany such statements, so the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration asked researchers to study the issue.

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Source: PRNewswire
October 21, 2011

"Matt Rand, director of global shark conservation for the Pew Environment Group, issued the following statement today in response to an announcement by the Taiwan Fisheries Agency that it will impose a ban next year on shark finning-the practice of slicing off the animal's fins on-board and then throwing away the body at sea-and mandate that sharks are landed with their fins attached.

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Source: The Star
October 21, 2011

Pangkor, Malaysia - "A pilot project to conserve corals on Mentangor Island, near the main island here is under way.

Three square metres of Acropora corals were transplanted from a nursery onto the sea bed near the island on Wednesday, said Reef Check Malaysia general manager Julian Hyde.

The corals had been planted on palettes near Pangkor Laut Resort here a year ago before they were moved to the new location, he added."

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Source: The Daily Yomiuri
October 20, 2011

"On the famous coral reefs off Ishigakijima island, Okinawa Prefecture, the size of coral colonies has sharply decreased to about a quarter of their size about 10 years ago, according to research by a national environment institute.

The National Institute for Environmental Studies in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, an independent administrative institution, conducted the research off the island's Shiraho beach.

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Source: Universit y of Queensland News
October 19, 2011

"Deep-reef coral grows more prosperously in very little sunlight researchers at The University of Queensland and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies have found.

The research team looked at coral populations from three habitats on coral reefs—the sheltered back reef (Back Reef), the wave-exposed top of the reef slope (Upper Slope) and the dimly lit deeps (Deep Slope).

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Source: UPI
October 17, 2011

Fort Lauderdale, FL - "Climate change will be at the forefront when the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meets to discuss how to protect marine habitats around the world, officials say.

Summer temperatures that lead to "bleaching" and die-offs followed by unseasonable cold snaps will be addressed as the multi-agency, multi-state group meets in Fort Lauderdale this week, The Miami Herald reported Monday.

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